This invention concerns a bending assembly with satellite which can be positioned upstream or downstream of a shears and serves to bend rods according to a desired geometric configuration, which may provide for bends with a clockwise and anticlockwise (righthand and lefthand) development.
The invention is applied properly to machines that bend sections; the invention is properly employed advantageously, but not only, in machines to bend and shape rods for building work.
This invention is also employed in all cases where rods are to be bent by a bending pin (or equivalent thereof) able to rotate about an axis by a desired angular value clockwise or anticlockwise.
The rods which can be processed by this invention may be rolled, drawn, extruded or formed and be cold or hot processed and have a hollow or solid cross section.
The cross section of the bars which can be processed with this invention is the usual round, oval, square, hexagonal, rectangular, etc. cross section.
If we take a round rod as being the reference element, then the machine according to this invention is prepared and able to process diameters of 50 cms. and more.
The rods to be processed according to this invention are of a straight type, that is to say, straightened and sheared to size, but the machine may include means performing straightening and shearing to size upstream of the invention.
The tasks which a bending machine employing this invention is able to carry out are performed at the present time by two independent bending assemblies distanced from each other and possibly capable of being reciprocally positioned even while at work; each of these two assemblies produces the required bends at its own end of the rod.
Machines of this type are disclosed in FR 2.218.147, DE 3.301.061, U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,433, DE 2,918,813, EP 0141745, EP 0263607, GB 2,169,829, GB 2,181,680, DE 3.236.663 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,488,850.
The known embodiments entail a plurality of shortcomings. A first shortcoming arises from the fact that the two bending assemblies are positioned apart at the normal distance for the most distant bends and can move in relation to each other to make all the other bends required in one single shape. This results in a first shortcoming due to the slowness of the movements and the consequent long time required for the cycle.
A second shortcoming lies in the fact that owing to the great weight of the bending machines the runways undergo great stresses, and the shortcomings are lessened only when the ground surface on which the machines are installed is solid and well levelled.
If, however, the ground surface, for instance of a building site, is not well levelled or the ground is normal, then the movement problems are considerable and after a short time the system for moving the two bending assemblies becomes practically unworkable and labour is continually required for maintenance, repair and corrective work.
Moreover, the system now known requires great installed power, the doubling of all the control circuits, a great waste of materials for construction and trueing and also considerable space tied solely to the employment of the compound machine thus embodied.